The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely freedom from disease [...]". Consequently, measuring “health” and the impact of health care must include changes in the incidence and severity of disease, as well as improvements in quality of life (QOL) related to health care (e.g., cochlear implant provision and rehabilitation). Furthermore, patient self-reported outcomes (PROs) have gained importance and attention as part of an increased focus on patient-first medicine.
Several QOL questionnaires specific to the situation of individuals with hearing loss have already been developed. However, they often have a strong focus on auditory abilities (in terms of hearing performance) at the undue expense of other dimensions, e.g., emotional impact. Furthermore, because these questionnaires were developed many years ago, the question arises how applicable they still are. Based on the above definition of health and the WHO definition of QOL as “an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns”, a new questionnaire was developed to assess the QOL in hearing loss in various everyday situations. When formulating the items, we also considered the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, better known as ICF/WHO. This is a supplement to ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases). This classification model describes a person's health status and functional capacity (body functions, activities, participation) as well as disability (impairments, activity limitations, participation limitations). Based on these framework and classification systems, the “Hearing loss Quality of Life” questionnaire was developed. In addition to the quality of life with hearing loss in various everyday situations, this questionnaire also considers the emotional dimensions of hearing loss and users‘ expectation regarding the quality and clarity of hearing with a cochlear implant.
The development of the HL-QOL questionnaire and validation will be presented.

“Hearing loss Quality of Life” questionnaire – Development and Face Validity

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm, that on behalf of the Cochlear Implant centers of the Radboud UMC in Nijmegen and Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam to invite you to attend the 16th European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation to Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2023.

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the CI Centers at Radboud UMC and Erasmus MC,